A Million Miles
by ariley13
Summary: Bella flies across the country to hide from her weaknesses only to have them walk right through the door. Edward goes to New York with the hope of escaping the labels that haunt him at every turn, hiding himself from everyone. When a twist of fate lands them in the same cafe,can they look past their demons and find love? Or will they be devoured by the darkness that resides inside?
1. Souls of Manhattan

**A/N: Well, it's been quite a while since I've written a fanfiction. Hopefully you all like what I'm presenting here. I'll talk to you more at the end of the chapter**

 **If you're reading on a laptop, I suggest putting the page view to 1/2. It makes it much easier to read.**

 **Thanks to my best friend, cutiecaitlyn2244, for being supportive as well as being my beta.**

 **Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephanie Meyer.**

* * *

 _When the sun does rise up_

 _Over that silver horizon_

 _Would you let out a soft spoken prayer_

 _Cause she's lower than hell and she needs a good friend_

 _Who don't mind giving up holidays._

 _Cause all of your heroes and fairweather friends_

 _Watch as your dreams tumble_

 _Down down down_

 _Where the souls of Manhattan resound._

 _Souls of Manhattan - Jon Bryant_

* * *

Sitting alone in a café in New York, Bella wondered how long she would be alone

It wasn't that she didn't enjoy being alone, per se, it was just starting to get old.

She had moved to New York from quite possibly the smallest town in the world – Forks, Washington – over a year ago. Charlie hadn't known what to feel at the thought of his only child going across the country, somewhere where he would be unable to protect her, but he couldn't do anything about it. He knew that Bella's dream of being a writer would make it impossible for him to stand in her way, so he let her go. Not letting Bella see the tears that rolled down his cheeks as she boarded the plane.

Bella's mother, on the other hand, was a completely different story. Renee understood the need to see more of the world than just Forks. Forks could be suffocating, what with the cover of clouds and the constant rain, but what Renee couldn't understand was why Bella would choose New York over somewhere like Arizona or Florida.

What Renee didn't know was that New York was the furthest place away from Washington that Bella could think of. Which was exactly the reason Bella decided to move there. Bella couldn't, wouldn't, risk running into anyone from her past. She could spew things about New York being the best place for an aspiring writer to live, but that wasn't what really drew her to the city that never sleeps. But, to tell someone this, would show that she had weaknesses. Another thing she couldn't risk, lest someone exploit them.

Even though the thought of opening up to people again scared Bella more than most things, she couldn't help but wish that she wouldn't have to do things alone. It wasn't that she didn't have friends, it was just that all the friends she had she either worked with or lived across the country.

Little did Bella know – as she sat alone at a table by the window, earphones in, head down – that the person that would help change her life was walking through the door to the same café as she pondered her thoughts, too absorbed to notice.

He was beautiful. If Bella had been paying attention, she would have noticed him straight away. He was tall, probably 6'2, and slender with sharp edges. His hair stood on end, but didn't make him look like a slob. Rather it made him look as though he had just got done having a rendezvous in the back of a car.

If those things wouldn't have made him stand out, the colors he carried would have. He dressed in black – black skinny jeans, shiny black pointed shoes, and a long open black peacoat with a black cable-knit sweater underneath. This ensemble was normal for New York, but the way it contrasted with his pale skin made it stand out among the tans one normally saw on the men. His hair was precisely the color of a new penny and his eyes looked like freshly mown grass.

He wore a few rings on his hands – one on his left middle finger, one on his right thumb, and another on his right ring finger. It didn't make him look less masculine, but rather added to his edge. Along with tattoo that sat between his left thumb and pointer finger.

Bella may not have noticed him as he walked in, but he definitely noticed her.

As soon as he walked into the café, Bella caught his attention. He would tell her this, years later, but she would continue to roll her eyes and say she was nothing special.

If only she knew how wrong she was. Bella was always too immersed in her thoughts, readings, and writing to notice how people stared as she walked by. People couldn't help but be enchanted by her.

The man who walked into the café was enchanted, more so than anyone else, so much so that he couldn't help but inject himself into Bella's life.

And that's where our story begins.

* * *

 **A/N: So, whatcha think?**

 **The plans for this story are in the very vague stages. I didn't even really mean to write this, so where it'll end up is completely up to whatever happens as the characters move me along. I know, way to be vague, but I can promise you that no matter what happens there'll be a happy ending in store for these characters.**

 **The plan at this point is to update once a week. I am in school, so the days might vary, but I promise to not leave you guys hanging around.**

 **Thank you for reading. Let me know whether you loved it, loathed it, or whatevered it. I'd love to hear from you guys. And I'll try to respond to reviews.**

 **All my love,**

 **Angel**


	2. State of Grace

**A/N: So I got to writing last night and I thought you guys deserved a little more of a taste of what I'm bringing to the table. So here it is, I hope you like it, and I'll talk to you more at the bottom.**

 **As always, characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. Plot line belongs to me.**

 **P.S.: 10 Points to Gryffindor if you can tell me the Taylor Swift reference made ;)**

* * *

 _I'm walking fast through the traffic lights_

 _Busy streets and busy lives_

 _All we know_

 _Is touch and go_

 _We are alone with our changing minds_

 _We fall in love til it hurts or bleeds or fades in time_

 _And I never saw you coming_

 _And I'll never be the same_

 _State of Grace - Taylor Swift_

* * *

Edward expected that Wednesday to be just like any other Wednesday. Wake up, go to work, go to his favorite café, meet his brothers for dinner, go shopping for groceries, go home, feed his cat, and go to bed. Probably not that order, but most likely those things.

The Wednesday started as any Wednesday in his life would – Edward woke up to the sound of early morning radio. He got out of bed almost immediately, showered, and got dressed without much thought for how his day would go, since it went the same almost every day. He expected his students to pay attention in class, he expected Wordsworth to not puke on the furniture, and he expected his brothers to keep their dinner plans to the three of them.

Edward expected a lot of things, but didn't hope for much.

For Bella, the Wednesday held much more promise since her view on life tended to be much more optimistic.

She was the exact opposite of Edward in many things, including the fact that she refused to allow herself to fall into a routine where she would continuously be disappointed. The only thing she did day after day was go to the same café every morning.

This morning she wasn't awoken by the sound of incessant beeping, but rather the soothing sounds of Beethoven. Less so for the change, more so for the mild headache she knew she would have from drinking one too many glasses of wine the night before.

When she finally got out of bed – after hitting the snooze button five times – she went to the bathroom and assessed the damage from the night before. Bella was happy to see that her face wasn't too much of a mess, but noted that a shower was due in order to deal with the mess that was her hair. She showered quickly before blow drying her hair, allowing the soft curls to fall naturally.

Bella didn't have any specific events to dress up for on this particular Wednesday – her book launch wasn't until the next week and her dinner date with a coworker wasn't important enough to dress up for. Still, she decided that if there was any day to dress up it would have to be a Wednesday.

"McGonagall, what do you think I should wear today?" Bella asked the cat that was perched on the chair in the corner of the room "I don't want to look too dressy, but I don't want to look like a slob." She vocalized to the cat, who after a year in the city remained her only friend.

She hummed to herself, deciding on an olive colored skirt that hit mid-thigh and a grey turtle neck sweater. She slipped on some black tights and grey Keds before getting McGonagall her food and grabbing a book off her shelf to read as the day went.

Her watch told her that she had twenty minutes before the early morning rush at Caffe Bene "Sorry to leave you, McGonagall, but I can't hit the rush again. It was horrible last week." She told the tabby, shuddering slightly at the memory, before scratching the cat's head as she walked by "I promise I'll be back before nightfall, try to ration out your food until then."

Grabbing the burgundy peacoat off the hook by the door, she made sure she had her phone and purse before leaving her small apartment.

Bella had fallen in love with New York almost as soon as she landed. She loved the fast pace, the interesting people, the creativity, and the anonymity. Nobody cared about who she was, they cared about where they had to go. After living in such a small town for an extended period of time, Bella was glad to be able to walk without worrying that someone would be talking about her outfit choice later.

She stuck her headphones in, not wanting to hear the constant horns honking and people shouting. Instead opting for her acoustic playlist, turning it up loud enough to drown out the noise around her. The walk was short – five minutes maybe – but she still wanted to be surrounded by sounds she chose rather than the ones chosen for her.

As she expected, Caffe Bene wasn't busy quite yet, only one other customer in the building. She pulled out her earbuds, smiling at Zach who was wiping down the already immaculate counter "Good morning Zach. How are you today?"

The barista smiled back at her, lighting up his honey eyes "I'm doing great, Bella. How are you?"

She responded the same and internally sighed at the fact that Zach had a girlfriend. They had gotten along well since she started coming to the café and, for a while, it had seemed as though they were going to get together. But then Zach's high school sweetheart called him up, promptly ending that journey before it even started. Bella couldn't harbor too much anger; not only was Lisa one of the nicest girls she'd ever met, but love winning was one of Bella's favorite things.

"What do you want to drink today? We finally have our banana bread back in stock." he informed her, knowing full well that it was Bella's favorite early morning snack.

Bella's eyes lit up "Oh yay. I thought you'd never get them back in stock. I was afraid I'd have to go to some other café to fulfill my needs." She joked, causing Zach to laugh and roll his eyes as he put the order into the machine. She then asked for cinnamon tea, which Zach knew she only got when she was hungover, causing him to joke with her about her drinking habits.

Zach and her held friendly banter while he made her tea. No information of importance was shared, but Bella looked forward to these small conversations with Zach every morning. They made her feel less ostracized from the city that tended to isolate people.

As Bella threw her head back, laughing at a particularly bad joke made by Zach, Edward walked by, hoping to get to the nearest Starbucks before the line was out the door.

This wasn't the first time Bella and Edward's meeting came close, but didn't happen.

There was that time, at a New Years party, where Bella could've swore she saw a flash of bronze hair in the crowd, only to have it disappear the next moment. Then there was the time that Edward saw Bella's profile, but didn't turn around fast enough to see what she looked like fully. Another time they went to the same restaurant, sitting only two tables away from each other, but Bella shook her head to clear the thoughts of a green eyed boy, convincing herself that she had to have imagined eyes so green.

They were in a continuous state of near encounters, and to the untrained eye this might have seemed like another one, but today fate had another plan for them.

Edward got to the Starbucks, at precisely the right time for the morning rush, to see that the line was more than out the door. It was practically down the entire block. He cursed, realizing that he hadn't beaten the rush of men in suits. He ran his hands through his hair, hoping that there was a café nearby that would have some sort of coffee.

He shouldn't have been so pessimistic, it wasn't although New York wasn't brimming with coffee shops. In fact, he could have walked half a block more to find a Starbucks without a line. But there was no way for him to know that, so he stood in the middle of the sidewalk and looked around, spotting the sign for Caffe Bene a few buildings down.

He walked quickly, not wanting to stand in a line out the door, and failed to notice Bella taking her tea from Zach as he walked through the door and sighed in relief.

Edward was so engrossed in the menu that he didn't notice Bella until he had already placed his order at the till. But when he did notice, he felt as though his heart had been stopped and jump started again.

He had never seen a woman so beautiful. Sure, he'd seen girls that were runway pretty. Hell, he'd even dated girls that could have been on a Victoria Secret runway. But he couldn't help but think that none of them compared to the girl situating herself at the table near the window on that Wednesday.

Her hair was long enough that it hit well past the middle of her back, the chestnut colored curls falling beautifully. She had the hourglass figure that he was sure most girls were jealous of. Her eyes, which he only saw briefly when she threw a thanks to the barista over her shoulder, were such a deep brown that any person would get lost in.

Normally, Edward would ignore the girl and continue with his day as planned. Normally, Edward would have gone to Starbucks. Normally, Edward wouldn't have lifted his head high enough to see what was going on around him.

Obviously, this Wednesday wasn't going to go as normally as Edward thought it would.

And although part of him wasn't sure how to feel about that, he knew somewhere deep in his soul that this Wednesday was going to change him in ways that he couldn't completely comprehend immediately.

And if there was anything Edward needed, it was something to make him hope again.

* * *

 **A/N: So...what do you think?**

 **As the story goes it'll become a little more conversation based, but for right now we might be mildly stuck in the characters' heads.**

 **Link to Bella's outfit can be found on my profile.**

 **Reviews make me smile :)**

 **All my love,**

 **Angel**


	3. re:stacks

A/N: Fun fact. England is very busy when you're there as a tourist and as a student. This story has been on my mind, but finding the time to sit down and write was difficult.

Buttttt I'm back home now and ready to move along with these characters! So let's get to it, shall we?

As always, characters belong to Stephanie Meyer.

* * *

 _I've twisting to the sun I needed to replace_

 _The fountain in the front yard is rusted out_

 _All my love was down in a frozen ground_

 _There's a black crow sitting across from me_

 _His wiry legs are crossed_

 _And he's dangling my keys, he even fakes a toss_

 _Whatever could it be that brought me to this loss?_

 _re:stacks - Bon Iver_

* * *

Edward fidgeted, waiting for his coffee – black, no sugar or milk – wondering how he was going to go about interjecting himself in this beautiful stranger's life.

Zach watched as Edward fidgeted, shaking his head at the stranger across the counter.

It was obvious to Zach what Edward was going to try to do, he had watched dozens of men try before him. Men taller than Edward, shorter, fatter, skinnier, with longer hair and buzzcuts. Every type of man had tried – and failed – to catch Bella's attention for more than the fleeting minute her attention span could rest on them. None of them had succeeded.

Despite this evidence that the attempt could, in fact, go as all others, Zach felt hopeful for this one. So he quickly shot a text to Lisa behind the cover of the expresso machine, lest Frank decided to poke his head out of the office and tell Zach his job didn't include texting.

 _We have another tall, dark, and handsome after our dear Bella. Bets that he'll last more than five minutes?_

Lisa and Zach had a longstanding bet going on when Bella would finally meet someone to talk about more than her book of the day with. Someone that would get on Lisa's boat that double dates are, in fact, a thing people do.

Not that there was an expectation from Lisa that Bella would join Lisa and Zach on double dates. But there was a slight excitement when the thought crossed Lisa's mind.

Bella wasn't convinced she was ever going to find the man Lisa went on about. But it took a lot to convince Bella of just about anything.

Bella still didn't believe Zach when he tried to convince her, again and again, that Lisa and Zach truly considered Bella to be more than a frequent customer at Café Bene. Bella would giggle it off when Lisa told Bella that Bella was one of the closest friends she had in the city. And Bella was definitely never convinced when Zach and Lisa told her that she would inevitably meet her soul mate at Café Bene, due to the amount of frequent flyer points she got from the establishment.

Zach shot a look over his shoulder at Edward again, observing the man across the counter, whose name he only knew because he had written it on a paper cup less than two minutes before.

Lisa had told him what Bella's type was – if Zach remembered correctly, Lisa had used an allusion to a Tim Burton movie so Zach would know exactly what to keep his eye out for – so he knew that Edward would definitely catch Bella's attention.

Edward looked like the characters Bella wrote about in the few excerpts she allowed Zach to read. Not only was he handsome, but he looked like he had something hidden behind his eyes. As if there was some secret or burden he was just waiting to unleash.

The coffee machine beeped at Zach, making him hastily put his phone away and grabbing the cup off the counter. Putting it under the nozzle as quickly as possible before the coffee flowed onto the floor.

Edward was unaware of the barista's struggle, still wondering how he was going to talk to the girl without coming off as a stalker or a creep of any nature.

He supposed he could start with asking her name, but that seemed strange to him. To walk up to a complete stranger demanding her name as if he owned some right to knowing the piece of information he deemed to be of a personal nature.

Then he thought he could ask about the book she was reading, but without knowing what book it was that made conversation hard. If it was a book he knew he could ask about it, but if it was something he didn't know conversation would be stunted right after the question was asked.

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose, frustrated at himself and knowing full well that his brother's would be taunting him mercilessly if they could hear his inner monologue right now.

 _Edward, it shouldn't be this hard to talk to a girl! Just walk up to her and show her the goods; you'll have her crawling to your bed before she even has a chance to ask who you are!_

His other brother would be more sympathetic, but just as amused.

 _Don't listen to him; he has no idea what he's talking about. But it really shouldn't be that hard. If it's right, you'll feel it when you see her. When I met…_

Edward sighed deeply when Zach handed him his coffee "One black coffee." The barista said nicely before adding in a more serious tone "Do you want my advice?"

This wasn't something Zach would normally do, but he could see Edward was brooding over whatever thoughts were whizzing across his mind. Plus, Zach had a good feeling about this guy. Not to mention he just staked twenty bucks on him.

Edward looked at the barista quizzically, but nodded "Just go up to her and tell her your name. If she doesn't want anything to do with you, she'll let you know in the first twenty seconds."

 _No pressure,_ Edward thought, but nodded his head in acknowledgment. Tipping his coffee towards the barista in thanks, sticking a crisp five-dollar bill into the tip jar.

Zach shook his head at the man, but turned to text Lisa again. The message had just finished sending when Frank came out of his office "I'm not paying you to stand around and talk to your girlfriend! Wipe off the counters or something, Zach."

 _I have a good feeling about this one Lisa._ Was left on the screen as Zach rolled his eyes, grabbing the clean rag out of the bucket.

* * *

A/N: Well...what did you think? I'm excited where this is going, and I have a general idea of what's going to happen. So get excited.

Reviews make me smile (:

Until next time,

All my love,

Angel


	4. Nightingale

A/N: Hello! Thank you so much for all the positive reviews on the last chapter! They made me smile so hard! I'm glad you all seem to be loving A Million Miles as much as I do!

Onto the next chapter, and some Edward/Bella interaction ;)

As always, all characters belong to Stephanie Meyer.

* * *

 _Can you be my Nightingale?_

 _Sing to me,_

 _I know you're there._

 _You could be my sanity;_

 _Bring me peace_

 _Sing me to sleep._

 _Say you'll be my Nightingale._

 _Nightingale - Demi Lovato_

* * *

Bella didn't notice Edward until he was standing right next to her table. She was lost in the sound of guitars and the words of love lost. But, when she did notice the tall figure looming over the table, she immediately pulled out her headphones "Can I help you?" she asked politely, trying not to get distracted by the beauty that was the man before her.

Pretty boys weren't typically Bella's type. She knew she shouldn't have categorized him before she knew anything about him, but she couldn't help it.

The boy standing in front of Bella seemed to be about her age – maybe a couple years older, putting him at around 22. His face was pale enough and perfect enough that, if he sat without moving for an extended period of time, he could be mistaken for a Greek sculpture. Even his hair reflected the kind of perfection that one usually associated with something worth making art after.

The only things that deviated from the pretty boy spectrum was that he didn't seem as though he spent every waking moment at the gym, considering he was rather lean in stature. And pretty boys usually didn't wear so much black. But Bella couldn't help but think it suited him, considering it made his green eyes stand out in contrast.

Bella also couldn't help but think that she knew him from somewhere. He reminded her of someone, a washed out memory, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

The boy fidgeted under Bella's gaze, causing her brows to wrinkle together and causing him to snap out of his haze. Edward gulped slightly before introducing himself: "Hello. I'm Edward Cullen. I was wondering if you would mind if I sat with you for coffee?"

Bella looked around at the mostly empty coffee shop, not sure why Edward, as he said his name was, would want to sit with her. But, when she looked back at him, she couldn't help but tell him to take a seat, moving her spread items out of his way.

Edward couldn't help but notice the book she was reading, thanking the heavens that he knew the author before commenting on it "Charles Bukowski?" he asked, setting down his cup and taking off his jacket.

Edward wished he knew what the blush that crept up onto the girl's face was for, but she responded before he could ponder on it much "Yeah."

"People don't usually read Bukowski. He's usually a love-to-hate type of writer; people love quoting his poetry, but to sit down and read his poems or novels in length requires a certain amount of, shall we say, patience."

The girl smiled at him "I think, if it requires patience to read, you shouldn't read it. For some reason, Bukowski has always spoken to me. His words feel like they reach somewhere deeper than the initial membrane of my being, it feels like they reach deep into my soul." She blushed deeper "That probably sounds silly."

Edward smiled in a way he hoped came off as reassuring "Not silly at all. If I had to venture a guess, I would have to say that you're a writer of some kind yourself."

"What gave me away?" she asked, hiding the book from his sight, sliding it into the bag hanging off the chair behind her.

"No one reads Bukowski unless they're a writer." Edward responded, eliciting a laugh from the girl. He smiled at the sound as he took a sip of his black coffee, mentally noting that her laugh sounded the way Christmas felt; you may not have done anything to earn the beauty, but it didn't make you any less grateful that it was bestowed upon you.

Bella continued laughing for a moment, brushing her hair away from her face self-consciously when she was done "And what do you do Edward?"

Edward set down his cup, his eyes twinkling "Well, I'm not a writer, but I'm involved in the creative arts as well." He responded, causing Bella to tilt her head to the side in silent question "I mostly do photography," he explained, leaning over to take a professional looking camera out of his bag "which requires some writing, but not much. These days though, I spilt my time between taking photographs and teaching Photography classes at NYU."

"Really?" Bella replied, astonished "You look so young to be a teacher."

Edward shrugged slightly, suddenly looking uncomfortable and fiddling with the strap of the camera "Good genes I suppose."

Bella filled the uncomfortable silence by taking a drink of her tea, internally sighing at the relief to her head it brought. She stared out the window a moment, allowing herself to get lost in the moment, when Edward asked "What do you do exactly?"

Turning back to Edward, Bella smiled "I'm a full time writer. I guess technically my job title is Social News Reporter. Which sounds really exciting, but I mostly cover celebrity scandals." She rolled her eyes "Not exactly the kind of writing job I was looking for when I came into the city, but everyone has to start somewhere I suppose."

Edward laughed, and their conversation continued as such. They bounced conversation between the two of them easily and equally, only having a few moments where the silence became awkward.

It didn't stop them from talking for two hours. Their drinks emptying, but their hearts filling. Bella's with the laughter and smiles she needed and Edward's with the inspiration that he couldn't seem to find anywhere else these days.

Towards the end of their time together, after learning about Bella's current favorite playlist, Edward looked at the time "Shoot. I have class in a half hour. I should probably go…" he led off, not wanting to leave any more than he wanted to get a root canal.

The girl bit her lip, something Edward had noticed her doing when she was nervous or listening intently to what he was saying "Do you think, maybe, we could get together again sometime?" she asked pensively.

Edward smiled widely "I was hoping you'd ask." He told her, causing the girl to let her lip fall out from between her teeth, a small smile quirking her lips upwards instead "I was going to ask you something else as well."

"What's that?"

Edward held up his camera "I was wondering if I could take your picture. It probably sounds strange, but right now you're perfectly depicting what I was going to talk to my class about today."

She blushed, and Edward hoped it would stay there for the picture, and nodded before asking "Do I look alright enough for what you need?" she fiddled with her hair and shirt, straightening wrinkles that didn't need straightened and tucking flyaway hairs behind her ears.

Edward smiled, taking the cover off the lens and pressing the power button "If you didn't look alright I wouldn't have asked for you picture, would I?"

It had the effect Edward was hoping for, the girls blush deepening "I suppose that's true."

Edward messed with the settings on his camera for a moment, balancing the light and bringing out the color before putting the camera to his eye.

He chuckled a bit at her before saying "Stop looking like I'm going to take your picture."

When she sneered at him, the shutter clicked "What am I supposed to look like you're doing? Training an elephant?"

At that, she burst out laughing. And as she put her hand up to her mouth to muffle the sound, the shutter clicked again.

Edward knew that was the picture he'd use in his class: a perfect depiction of the rule of thirds. With her on one third and a lamppost on the other.

"Did you get what you needed?" She asked, her eyes still alight with the bout of laughter.

Edwards lips quirked up, one side slightly higher than the other, before he said "I think I got everything I came for."

* * *

A/N: Well, there it is! They finally talked! Yay!

Any guesses as to where the next chapter will lead? Any opinions you want to share? I'd love to hear them! Because, as you know, reviews make me smile (:

All my love,

Angel


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